Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia

The 'Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia' (2014) provides a strategic vision and quantitative analysis for deploying sustainable biofuel and biomass technologies in Colombia through 2030. The report evaluates two primary visions: one focusing on new technologies (biomethane and biomass-based power/CHP) and another combining these with the expansion of first-generation liquid biofuels. Using an Energy System Model (ESM) and a Land Use and Trade Model (LUTM), the report quantifies impacts on energy demand, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and land requirements, concluding that power generation and CHP applications are the most effective for emission reductions.

• The roadmap defines two distinct visions for bioenergy deployment: Scenario I focuses on "new technologies" for biomethane, biomass-based power generation, and combined-heat-and-power (CHP) while fixing current liquid biofuel mandates; Scenario II combines these new technologies with the "further growth of first generation biofuels".
• Long-term goals for liquid biofuels in the combined vision include increasing the biodiesel quota mandate to B20 by 2020 and B30 by 2030, increasing the bioethanol mandate to E20 by 2025, and implementing an E85 fuel program by 2030.
• Targets for biomethane and power generation include using 5% of biomass residues and 1% of animal waste for biomethane by 2030, achieving a 10% renewable power target by 2025, and utilizing 10% of municipal landfill gas for energy by 2030.
• The most effective policy measures for reducing GHG emissions are those addressing power generation and CHP, which account for over 50% of reductions in both Scenarios I and II. The primary driver is avoiding methane release from landfill gas and animal waste/wastewater.
• Scenario I is identified as the most land-efficient approach, achieving the highest emission reduction per additional hectare of land (nearly 150 tons of CO2-eq. per ha), largely because landfill gas and biogas technologies do not require additional cultivation land.
• In Scenario II, the demand for liquid biofuels exceeds domestic land capacity, necessitating significant imports. By 2030, imports could account for over 70% of bioethanol demand and 60% of biodiesel demand.
• Domestic bioenergy-induced emission reductions relative to the baseline are estimated at 11.4 million tons of CO2-eq. for Scenario I and 20.3 million tons for Scenario II (increasing to 22.6 million tons in Scenario II with expansion).
• The report identifies several critical barriers to bioenergy deployment, including the lack of a centralized authority for biofuel regulations, the absence of an attractive pricing scheme for distributed generation, and the perception that hydro power is the only optimal solution for electricity.
• The roadmap suggests a sustainability scheme that requires minimum GHG savings (e.g., 40% in 2015, 60% by 2025) and excludes high-carbon stock lands, tropical forests, and protected areas from bioenergy production.
• Despite the proposed bioenergy targets, the share of bioenergy in primary energy demand is expected to decline in all scenarios (to approximately 10% by 2030) because the overall demand for fossil fuels continues to grow due to urbanization and economic growth.

APA

Salazar, M. A. G., Venturini, M., Poganietz, W.-R., Finkenrath, M., Kirsten, T., & Acevedo, H. (2014). Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://leap.sei.org/documents/Bioenergy_technology_roadmap_for_Colombia.pdf

Chicago

Salazar, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Mauro Venturini, Witold-Roger Poganietz, Matthias Finkenrath, Trevor Kirsten, and Helmer Acevedo. Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://leap.sei.org/documents/Bioenergy_technology_roadmap_for_Colombia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Salazar |first1=Miguel Angel Gonzalez |last2=Venturini |first2=Mauro |last3=Poganietz |first3=Witold-Roger |last4=Finkenrath |first4=Matthias |last5=Kirsten |first5=Trevor |last6=Acevedo |first6=Helmer |title=Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://leap.sei.org/documents/Bioenergy_technology_roadmap_for_Colombia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{salazar2014bioenergy, author = {Salazar, Miguel Angel Gonzalez and Venturini, Mauro and Poganietz, Witold-Roger and Finkenrath, Matthias and Kirsten, Trevor and Acevedo, Helmer}, title = {{Bioenergy technology roadmap for Colombia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://leap.sei.org/documents/Bioenergy_technology_roadmap_for_Colombia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }